I don't usually write about a specific product, but as I was making soup in my Vitamix Blender last night I thought it was time to share the truth about the blender. The simple truth is the companies claim that the Vitamix is amazing is absolutely true. Check out the recipes on their site. For example, if you blend your soup recipe long enough it even heats the soup up for you!

I bought my Vitamix Blender over 20 years ago. It was the first major kitchen appliance I ever purchased. It was a big decision for me, let's face it, they are definitely on the pricey side. I can't even tell you how many times over the years I've been thankful I decided to invest in one.

I have not been easy on my blender. I often pile in more vegetables than I should or not enough liquid. I've been known to pile in too much of ice with some organic half and half for my homemade ice cream milkshakes (recipe below). The blender has handled it all with aplumb.

One day I overdid it, the motor was clearly struggling with a very thick nut butter, and then it stopped altogether. A quick call to the helpline relieved my fears that I'd finally broken the poor thing. At their advice I turned it off for a while and sure enough, the motor was revived and started working again just like new.

The Vitamix Blender is definitely an investment and if you want to make an investment on a kitchen appliance that you'll always use, this is the one. (They have slightly lower priced reconditioned blenders available too.)

Here's a current favorite dessert recipe of mine. If you have another heavy duty blender give it a try, it may work just as well. It never fails with the Vitamix.

Yummy & Organic Sugar Free Milkshake (1 Personal Servin5)

Place in blender:

5 ice cubes1 cup Organic Half and Half (Organic whipping cream can be used for a richer shake)3/4 dropper full Liquid Vanilla Stevia (or to taste)Optional: 1/3 cup blueberries or other berry of choice, so yummy!

Blend until the ice is completely ground and pour into a tall glass for an amazing and healthy milkshake.

Variations:

~ If you're low fat dieting you can use fat free half and half for a really low fat dessert treat! Use organic with the lowest sugar content you can find as low-fat usually means some added sweetener.

~ If you freeze some half and half or cream as ice cubes ahead of time and use them with some liquid cream you will get a lovely ice cream consistency.

I have a new cooking obsession - making ice cream! In my quest to continue reducing my sugar consumption I am always looking for places where I can substitute healthy sweeteners for sugar in my diet. I recently had one of those “aha” moments while staring at the ice cream in my freezer. Years ago we had a little ice cream maker and it wasn’t too hard to use so I decided to try it again.

I got myself a little Hamilton Beach Half Pint Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker (there's a link below if you want to check it out). The booklet that comes with this ice cream maker includes recipes that are easily modified. I made all the dairy organic and substituted xylitol for the sugar. Then I got creative- Blueberry-Acai Ice Cream has turned out to be my favorite, but I’ve also made successful batches of Lemon-Ginger and Strawberry-Goji Berry Ice Cream, which turns out a very interesting pinkish orange color as you can see in the picture above. I’m still working on the Mint Chocolate Chip (can’t get the cacao chocolate to keep from freezing too hard) and a reasonable coffee ice cream using decaf instant.

There are a number of different Ice Cream Makers available. My Hamilton Beach has been great, but I’ll probably upgrade to a larger model now that I know I’ll use it regularly.

Mango – Add 1/3 cup chopped mango to the vanilla ice cream recipe. Mix well with a hand blender or mixer. I like to sprinkle dried coconut over the top.

Here's a link to the Hamilton Beach Soft Ice Cream Maker. Just pop the finished product in the freezer for hard ice cream. I think the hard ice cream tastes best if you defrost it a little before eating it.